Social anxiety is often confused with shyness. People think that you just need to come out of your shell and you’ll eventually adapt to your surroundings. But with social anxiety, the adaption is extremely difficult. Social anxiety isn’t just being awkward or tense in social situations; it is having an intense sense of anxiety that can be so overwhelming it causes people to isolate themselves from the world, and CBD oil may be able to help.
Cannabidiol (CBD) may be able to help with social anxiety because of its anti-anxiety effects. CBD calms down the activity in some areas of the brain that are linked to anxiety and has even shown in studies to help people calm down in stressful social situations. To know exactly how it works, knowing what social anxiety is and what parts of the brain are active will help you understand.
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is entirely different from introversion or shyness. Social interactions overstimulate introverts, shyness is when you feel awkward or tense in new social situations, but social anxiety is when you sense the overwhelming fear of being judged or humiliated.
People with social anxiety are constantly self-monitoring themselves, making sure they don’t mess up and if they do they can ruminate on their mistakes for weeks. Social anxiety is also known as social phobia, meaning that this disorder is born from fear. But where does fear come from? These two little almond-shaped masses in your brain called the amygdala.
Your Brain And Social Anxiety
The amygdala controls your fear response. It is always on the lookout for danger, and it alerts you when it thinks that a serious threat is nearby. People who have anxiety disorders like social anxiety have an overactive amygdala which is continually sending out a fear response.
You amygdala could be telling you that you are taking too long to put the change in your wallet at the check out line and everyone behind you hates you. Your amygdala could light up when you say something in a social setting, and you are so sure that someone is rolling their eyes at you. When you see a group of people laughing, your amygdala is confident it is about you, and you should go home and think about everything you have done that day to figure out why people are laughing. But taking CBD could help calm your amygdala down.
CBD For Social Anxiety
Studies have shown that CBD can reduce the activity of an overactive amygdala, helping to make the fear response less severe. In a study where people were given CBD oil before public speaking, they found that those who took CBD before going out and making their speech had a significant improvement on cognitive function, dysfunction, and anxiety when speaking in public.
Therapy Is Key
CBD hemp oil may seem like some wonder drug that cures all, but when it comes to mental illnesses like social anxiety disorder, it is more of a tool than a cure. While your amygdala may be less active, this doesn’t change the thoughts that you are used to having. Seeing a therapist and learning how to retrain your brain to think more positive in social situations. They can help you discover coping mechanisms that work for you and help you not even need the CBD anymore.
How To Take CBD For Social Anxiety
When taking CBD hemp oil for social anxiety, you have two options. You can take the edibles or pills and have the effects take thirty minutes to an hour to kick in and last for about six to eight hours. Or, what you can do is get tinctures, candy, or a vape and have the effects kick in within fifteen to thirty minutes and last a few hours. Different methods work for different people, make sure to keep your doctor involved so they can help monitor you to find out what is the best option for you.
Have you used CBD for your social anxiety? We would love to hear how it has worked for you in the comment section below!
